These five crucial web design elements if implemented in website design will definitely increase the chances for the commercial success of your site.
Professional website developers know the importance of web design and the role it plays in making a website successful. Designing a successful website is not an easy task, especially for someone new to the world of web development. With the help of web development applications many people can and create decent web sites. But viable in most cases is not good enough to make a site successful from a traffic or financial point of view.
There are five essential components of web design that you should focus on to make your site valuable to your visitors and successful for you.
– SEO – Get free traffic to your site.
– Usability – Ease of navigating around the site and finding the desired information quickly.
– Aesthetics – Visual appeal.
– Content – Valid, latest, relevant information
– Graphics – Eye candy that convey relevant visual information to visitors.
Seo
Before you ever put down bytes of HTML code for your site you should know and understand at least the basics of SEO and how it fits into the design. SEO is the art of designing a site in a way that gives the site the advantage of getting free and abundant traffic.
The number one aspect of SEO is choosing keywords that are relevant to your site. The keywords you choose should be based on high usage, low competition and relevance to your topic. Once you have chosen your keywords, you can then start developing your site. Keep in mind that keywords are an important aspect of design. The keywords you choose will be applied in the design in a strategic fashion to benefit the flow of traffic to your site. To understand more about how to implement SEO, you should read on and learn more about this important subject. Otherwise, your website success will be difficult to achieve.
Uses
Your website should be easy to navigate and designed in a way that makes it easy to find information. Visitors won’t stay long if it takes more than a click or two to get the information they want or if it takes brain power to figure out how to get the information they want. One of the goals of your site’s design is to keep usability easy, and simple. To do this, apply the following three basic uses.
Provides a site search tool. Rushing visitors can quickly find the info they want and then move on to the action they want.
Provides simple, intuitive and consistent site navigation. This gives visitors the tools they need to leisurely explore their way through your site.
Provide content that is logical and easy to follow. Site messages should start in a simple and basic manner with well-defined links pointing the way to more detailed information or explanations as needed.
In the above case the aim is to make it easier for your visitors to find the information they want without frustration or trouble. Doing this well will have a positive effect on increasing your return visitors.
Aesthetics
A website should look clean, uncomplicated and strike a balance in a layout that is pleasing to the visitor. The pleasing aesthetic emerges when the site’s colors complement each other, the graphics mix and lend a continuation to the theme and the layout brings unity and openness to the page.
Many web designers often see web pages as an opportunity to blow up visitors with a lot of information in the hope this will convince the visitor to take action. Usually this results in quick exits due to the incredible visual effects and intricate displays. A better approach is to provide less content and open space (referred to as white space) to allow the visitor’s eye to scan and explore with ease.
Content
An important feature of any website is the quality of the text content. Visitors come to the site expecting to find answers to their questions, solutions to their problems or for entertainment value. The content offered on your site must be well-written, without grammar or spelling errors. It must also be relevant to the theme of your site, with valid and up-to-date information for your visitors. Content is King!
Graphic
You can have a functional and usable website without graphic elements. However, if there are sites similar to yours that are using graphics, guess which site will get the most traffic. A necessary companion for any site well-designed are the images and illustrations that decorate the pages. Images can’t be the willy-nilly graphics you might think are cool. A graphic image should support your branding, and communicate the message you want to convey. Before you incorporate graphic elements into your site, take some time to browse the web. Pay attention to what looks good and how the elements are laid out. This same layout technique can be used as a model for your site.